Freddy’s World at Fisher Parrish Gallery

Artists: Tom Bronk, David Cummings, Cynthia Eardley, Ted Gahl, Mary Jane Hanja, Stewart Hitch, Irena Jurek, William King, Abby Lloyd, Maddy Parrasch, Suzanne Blank Redstone, Jesse Sullivan, Thornton Willis

Exhibition title: Freddy’s World @ Fisher Parrish Gallery, Brooklyn, NY

Curated by: Joshua Abelow & Freddy

Venue: Fisher Parrish Gallery, New York, US

Date: July 18 – September 8, 2019

Photography: all images copyright and courtesy of the artists and Fisher Parrish Gallery, New York

I’ve gathered together works by thirteen artists that I admire. Many in the group have participated in exhibitions at Freddy: Cynthia Eardley, Ted Gahl, Mary Jane Hanja, Abby Lloyd, Jesse Sullivan, and Thornton Willis. Suzanne Blank Redstone and Stewart Hitch have solo exhibitions coming up. Tom Bronk, David Cummings, Irena Jurek, William King, and Maddy Parrasch are new to Freddy.

For those of you familiar with these names, my hope is that you find something new in this particular arrangement. Curating is a lot like painting–a unique form of organization, presentation, and communication. Stewart Hitch once wrote an artist statement that aptly applies:

“Painting has a visual meaning and in that sense cannot be defined in words. If the meaning of painting could be defined in words then its meaning would be nothing more than its appearance. If that were the case, then to describe a painting would be to reveal its meaning.”

One can easily replace the word “painting” with the word “curating” and the same is true:

“Curating has a visual meaning and in that sense cannot be defined in words. If the meaning of curating could be defined in words then its meaning would be nothing more than its appearance. If that were the case, then to describe an exhibition would be to reveal its meaning.”

On that note, I encourage you to stop by Fisher Parrish Gallery and see the exhibition in person. If you don’t want to know more about these artists then this show is not for you. You live in your world. I live in Freddy’s World.

– Joshua Abelow

Freddy and Fisher Parrish Gallery would like to thank Jessica Silverman Gallery, Andrew Edlin Gallery, Beatrice Mady, Margie Mellman, Vered Lieb, Rachel Willis, Scott Chaskey, Connie Fox, Siim Hanja, Rudi Hanja, Siri Hanja, and Franklin & Suzi Parrasch for their support of this exhibition.

Joshua Abelow (b. 1976) lives and works in Harris, New York and New York, New York. Abelow received his BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design (1998) and his MFA from the Cranbrook Academy of Art (2008). Abelow has exhibited work at several galleries both nationally and internationally. Freddy was founded in Baltimore, Maryland in 2014. In 2016, Abelow moved Freddy to Harris, New York where he has, to date, presented eighteen exhibitions in his renovated church. Find out more about Freddy at www.freddygallery.biz. Additionally, Abelow is known for his blog, ART BLOG ART BLOG, which was updated on a daily basis for five years (2010-2015).

Freddy’s World @ Fisher Parrish Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, 2019, exhibition view, Fisher Parrish Gallery, New York

Abby Lloyd, Rustie, 2019, Apoxie sculpt, foam, plastic eyes, iron pigment, rust solution, 13 × 6 × 6 inches, 32 × 6 × 6 inches (with artist-made pedestal)